A boarding pass is a document provided by airlines during a check-in. A boarding pass gives the passengers the authority to board an aircraft of the airline. The boarding pass identifies the passengers and indicates a flight number as well as the date and the scheduled time for departure and its updates.
The boarding pass or portions of the boarding pass are typically collected by gate agents for a cross-check of passenger accounts. For connecting flights a boarding pass is needed for each airplane boarded by the passenger. Some airports and airlines have automatic readers that verify the validity of the boarding pass at the gate door. These automatic readers also automatically update an airline data base that shows all passengers which have boarded the airplane. In most airports the passenger has also to show his boarding pass for shopping in the airport.
For boarding an airplane a passenger has to perform a check-in in a public area of the airport and then pass a security check to enter a security area of the airport. Then the passenger has to reach a gate at a predetermined boarding time printed on the boarding pass. The airport has normally different facilities, such as restaurants, toilets and shops. Because of the increasing time needed for security checks it is quite difficult for a passenger to plan his exact arrival at the gate of his flight. For example it is quite difficult for a passenger to buy different products at shops of the airport within the public or security area because he cannot plan exactly how long it takes to reach the shops and still reach the gate in due time. Accordingly, a passenger often visits the facilities of the airport under severe time pressure.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an apparatus and a method for allowing the passenger to plan his arrival time at the gate accurately.